


A Reason to Keep Fightin'

by MinamotoHierophant



Series: Mina's RP Auditions [5]
Category: Fire Emblem Series, Fire Emblem: Fuukasetsugetsu | Fire Emblem: Three Houses
Genre: Alternate Universe - College/University, Balthus is a mama's boy, He can't save money to save his life, Mentioned Ashen Wolves Students (Fire Emblem), Mentioned Holst Goneril, Self-Reflection, Short One Shot
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-11-22
Updated: 2020-11-22
Packaged: 2021-03-09 22:14:53
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 836
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27673208
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/MinamotoHierophant/pseuds/MinamotoHierophant
Summary: Balthus considers his reasons to keep moving forward as he goes through the motions of his life.
Series: Mina's RP Auditions [5]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2022797
Kudos: 1





	A Reason to Keep Fightin'

A twenty-dollar bill lay forgotten on the sidewalk. As soon as he saw it, he grabbed it, tucking it into his wallet. “What a score! You’re going in here.” He slid the worn wallet back into his waistband before stretching his burly arms behind his head. He’d been hoping to have a night on the town, and this is just the ticket. 

It was no secret that Balthus loved three things: money, alcohol, and good company. These were the things he filled his life with whenever he got the chance, regardless of how much it might cost him in the long run. He was here for a good time, not a long time, his liver is damned. It hadn’t resulted in the most stable life, but he was fine with that. What was the point in living if your life wasn’t your own?

He could have had it all if he wanted to, but the corporate life would never have worked for him. The endless hours of stuffy meetings and mind-numbing infographics that made up his father’s routine wasn’t how he wanted to exist. “Don’t count the days. Make the days count.” had always made sense to him. Why waste your years behind a desk when there was a whole world?

Yet here he was in academia. He sighed and tucked his hands into his pockets as he began his walk back to the basement living space which was by no means luxurious, but certainly beat the streets. He and the other grad students called it the Abyss because it was in the basement of the school. He meant to make a fresh start, to put old debts behind him. The irony was, he was just collecting student debt by trying to turn over a new leaf. But the excess debt wasn’t anything new, and if it meant a chance to turn things around, it was worth it.

Ugh, that’s enough thinking. Can’t overuse the old noggin and pass out again. He chuckled despite himself, the memory of conking out thinking about corporate ascension chains with Yuri floating to the front of his thoughts. I’m sure some training will help. It never hurts. That last bit was a slight lie. He would often push himself past his limits physically, just to see if he could do it. To prove to himself that he could be his own man, aside from debts... And gambling... And drinking. He pushed open the door to the Abyss.

The familiar scent of the basement dorm washed over his nose. Not pleasant, but it was home. “Yo, I’m headed to the gym if anyone wants to join me!” He hollered. He doubted anyone else would be interested, but it never hurt to ask. Maybe Constance or Hapi would want to spot him. He grinned at the thought, That would be the day to end all days. Yuri wasn’t exactly a weight training guy, but sometimes he surprised Balthus. 

No response, as expected. He grabbed his water bottle and towel from where he’d tossed them the last time he returned from training. Less than a minute after he’d entered Abyss, he was gone again, back to the gym.

Huh, I wonder if any of the other wrestling bros’ll be there. When he applied to Garreg Mach University, he hadn’t expected to connect with anyone aside from who he already knew, namely Yuri. But he’d been surprised at how kindly most of the undergraduates had treated him. Respect your elders, I suppose. Balthus didn’t feel old but compared to the rest of the student body, he seemed like it for sure. Ahh, to be young enough to be naive again. He couldn’t help but think about happier times with the Gonerils. It’d been far too long since he last saw Holst, and frankly, he missed him. But their paths had diverged a long time ago, and fate hadn’t seemed too keen on bringing the duo back together again. I wonder where he is now. A small, sad smile crossed the large man’s face. So many good memories, but he couldn’t live in the past or worry about the present. He just took life one day at a time.

He reached the campus gym, hastily tossing his signature jacket in a locker, eager to work up a good sweat. Training didn’t quite beat a real fight, but it was a good substitute. After working through his stretches, he got right down to business. The familiar sensation of muscles pumping iron put him in the zone. The physical exertion allowed him to empty his mind, just the push, up and down. It was like fighting, it was instinct at this point. He had always fought. It may not have always been with his fists, but his whole life was one big fight: a fight out of his hereditary fate, a fight out of his homelessness, a fight out of debt, a fight into university. And he planned to keep on fighting; for his mother and Kupala.


End file.
